Peace is not a slogan, its a choice….We make that choice daily - And this is how we “conquered the world”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of John a very important message, which always rings true in hindsight but in the day to day moments of life can get lost…”I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world”…..The peace of Christ looks very different from the peace the world promises us….So the question we need to explore is - Are we even interested in “that peace” because it looks different from what the world “tells us” peace is all about…The word “peace” is similar to the world “love”…Both words get “thrown around” a lot but as these words are used by the status quo, we must ask ourselves, do they capture their real meaning?…..The peace of Christ is lasting and is deep….It does not fade moment to moment…Again, we all say we want to live in peace as well as have peace - But do we?….To have this peace we must reconcile our will with God’s will…There is NO OTHER WAY to have this kind of real peace…..And as Jesus tells us today, this kind of “peace” conquers the world…How you may say?…..Jesus defeated the ancient foe, which is death itself, which plagues us all…That is why only he can give you lasting and true peace…..Do you want that peace?…What does that “kind of peace” look like?….That “kind of peace” does not fear death - Or does it?…Let’s explore those questions with a concrete example

“God arises; his enemies are scattered, and those who hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so are they driven; as wax melts before the fire”

Have you ever watched someone die?…..It is something to behold….And the weird thing about it is, everyone dies the same way…Their breathing becomes very heavy and with each passing moment their breathing becomes more sporadic until the person ceases breathing….Whether you die in the best hospital in New York City or you die on a cot in Kolkata India…We all die the same way….Knowing this, there is such a thing as to die a “beautiful death”…To die with no regrets…To die with all your sins reconciled to God through the Sacraments…To be given an anointing by a priest, which gives you grace to face with courage the last hurdle of life - Death itself…..I have seen this “kind of death” - Have you?…..To give you an example, when my father's sister died (my Aunt Lydia)…I was with her 12 hours before she died….She died from lung cancer…As she laid on her death bed, she looked me in the eye and said with full throated confidence…”I can not what for the joys of heaven”….Words - Only words, you many say….Ok, allow me to continue - She later died that night in the hospital and when I arrived back at the hospital the next day, the nurse who was with her when she died looked like she saw something she never saw before…She did not know my aunt, who was a practicing Catholic her entire life….This nurse did not tell me the details of what she experienced with my aunt before she died, but she told me that my aunt was a very special person and the way she said it was extremely convincing…What made my aunt “special” in how she took her final breath?…..The answer is simple - GRACE….The words of the Gospel today come to mind as I tell this story…..”I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world”…You can not “fake” peace when the moment of death arrives - No matter who you are…And only Christ can give you this “kind of peace”….This is what is called a “beautiful death”….The ancient foe has been defeated - Defeated by Sacramental grace

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God”

Today we are reminded in the Gospel at Mass of the peace that only God can give to us….This “kind of peace” is not transitory…It does not come and go as a result of temporary decisions or experiences….This “kind of peace” is lasting…Even in the face of death….Nothing the world can “throw” at this “kind of peace” can disturb it….Are we interested in this “kind of peace”?…You would think the world would be due to the fact that not only is life hard for EVERYONE but we ALL will ultimately die….Do not reach for what is transitory and get betrayed in the end!……..Listen to the words of Christ - There is great wisdom in these words……“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined”…….Peace is not a slogan, its a choice….We make that choice daily - And this is how we “conquered the world”